Development and Validation of Finite Element Structure-Tuned Liquid Damper System Models

Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering,
Spencer Engineering Building (SEB),
The University of Western Ontario,
1151 Richmond Street,
London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
e-mail: isoliman@alumni.uwo.ca

Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering,
Spencer Engineering Building (SEB),
The University of Western Ontario,
1151 Richmond Street,
London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
e-mail: damatty@uwo.ca

1Corresponding author.

Contributed by the Dynamic Systems Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF DYNAMIC SYSTEMS, MEASUREMENT, AND CONTROL. Manuscript received October 18, 2013; final manuscript received June 11, 2015; published online August 3, 2015. Assoc. Editor: Tarunraj Singh.

Implementation of supplemental damping systems (e.g., the dynamic vibration absorbers (DVAs)) to mitigate excessive tall building vibrations induced by external dynamic loads (wind storms or earthquakes) has increased over the last several decades. A tuned liquid damper (TLD) is a specific type of the DVAs that consists of a rigid tank which is partially filled with a liquid, usually water. The sloshing liquid inside the tank provides inertia forces that counteract the forces acting on the structure, thus reducing the building motion. A single sway mode of vibration is usually targeted, however, for certain structures multiple modes may need to be suppressed. Moreover, the location of the TLD on the floor plate is important for certain modes, such as a torsionally dominate mode. In this paper, a three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) structure-TLD system model (3D-structure-TLD) is proposed where the TLDs can be positioned at any location on the structure allowing the most effective positions in reducing the structure's dynamic response to be determined. Therefore, the response of a 3D structure (tower, high-rise building, bridge, etc.) fitted with single or multiple TLD(s) and subjected to dynamic excitation can be predicted using the proposed FE model. For torsionally sensitive structure (eccentric/irregular structures), this type of 3D numerical analysis is highly recommended. Two nonlinear TLD models are employed to simulate the TLD and implemented in the FE model. The 3D-structure-TLD system model is validated for the cases of sinusoidal and random excitation forces using existing experimental test values. Results from the 3D-structure-TLD system model are found to be in excellent agreement with values obtained from experimental tests.

(a) Schematic of a TLD and its dimensions, (b) photograph of a TLD equipped with internal damping screens, (c) view of the tank setup end view and enlarged view of the screen, and (d) coordinate system for nonlinear shallow water system

Return to: Development and Validation of Finite Element Structure-Tuned Liquid Damper System Models

Copyright in the material you requested is held by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (unless otherwise noted). This email ability is provided as a courtesy, and by using it you agree that you are requesting the material solely for personal, non-commercial use, and that it is subject to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Terms of Use. The information provided in order to email this topic will not be used to send unsolicited email, nor will it be furnished to third parties. Please refer to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Privacy Policy for further information.

Shibboleth is an access management service that provides single sign-on protected resources.
It replaces the multiple user names and passwords necessary to access subscription-based content with a single user name and password that can be entered once per session.
It operates independently of a user's location or IP address.
If your institution uses Shibboleth authentication, please contact your site administrator to receive your user name and password.